ON MOUNT CAUCASUS." 515 



by Alexander and his Macedonians. I was not 

 fortunate enough to meet with pilgrims, who had 

 seen this place, which I understand, is seldom vi- 

 sited on account of its being difficult of access; and 

 because few and trifling indulgences only are to be 

 obtained there. They generally place it near the 

 pass oi Shabaray which was thus denominated from 

 the Shabars, whom Garud'a used to devour. The 

 word Shabara is interpreted in glossaries, Shdli- 

 vastra, and Vastracdra, and signifies such uncivi- 

 lized race of men, as make, and wear for garments, 

 a sort of matting made of grass and roots. The Sha- 

 bara, whom Garud'a confined in his cave, was a 

 servant of Maha'-de'va; a synonimous term for 

 which, isalsoPRAMATHAH or Pramatkas, whom 

 the Greeks have confounded with Prometheus, 

 obviously derived from the two Sanscrit words Pra- 

 mat'ha-is'a, which coalescing according to the 

 rules of grammar, form Pramat'he's'a. This sup- 

 posed adventure is posterior to Crishna : for in his 

 time Garud'a was in the full enjoyment of his 

 strength and povi^er. 



Garud'a is often represented as a Grijffin, and 

 the native country of the Griffins is placed by west- 

 ern mythologists in Bactria : this is also counte- 

 nanced in the Pnrdnas, and we read in the Himd- 

 chel-c'handy that Garud'a and his brother Aruna, 

 who now drives the chariot of the Sun, went into 

 Bactria and made Tapasya, at a place called Vima- 

 lamhu, close to Vdmiyan, and near the oracle of 

 Uma or Umasa, which is a name of the Earth, 

 considered as the Magna-viatery and, perhaps from 

 it, is derived the Latin word Hic:uis. There he 

 married a beautiful woman ; the snakes alarmed at 

 his marriage, waged war against him : but they were 

 defeated, one only escaping the general slaughter : 

 who falling at the feet of Garud'a, said, devour 

 I me 



